


Small Hopes

by zeo_nulla



Category: Invader Zim
Genre: And ZADR, Based on a Tumblr Post, Because feelings take time, But also doesnt, Dib Dies, Found Family, Implied/Referenced Suicide, No underage, Other, Slow Burn, Suicide, Taking fate into ones own hands, The first and second chapters are going to be a dark ride, There is gonna be ZADF, and love takes work, cloning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-27 22:07:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20767691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zeo_nulla/pseuds/zeo_nulla
Summary: If you are nothing but DNA what can you do but change it?If you are but skin and bones why not rearrange it?Take fate in your own two hands and make yourself something new.This is the only human thing to do.





	1. Falling

It was and then wasn’t

That is what Dib the now fifteen-year-old young man thought as he stared into the endless expanse of sky above him.

Below him the oblivious people who walked not caring about the world outside of their own bubble.

This time he would force change, but nothing would if he as himself now existed. 

There was a set of co-ordinates to the lab under his home where the vats were, the entire plan was set as a small robotic bug with giant navy-blue eyes. Pressed a sequence of buttons showing the next prepared clone of Dib, exactly fifteen and ready to restart as was.

The Little bug was set to change that, he cloning vat was flushed of the old sample and a new one popped out of the back shell of the bug.

The old clone destroyed as the new material was injected.

A five-year-old Dib in place, innocent but different, this Dib had made sure.

Zim had been gone for 3 years and his life had become Hell. In and out of institutions. He still took care of Gaz and sent her letters, in fact, they had become closer as his father became more closed off, Gaz still loved their father, even after finding out that they both had been basically made in a lab.

She was a brave kid still able to move on after finding that out at twelve.

They were clones, and that broke Dib day by day, he would never be professor Membrane. He could never be what his father wanted.

Father? Or the creator?

He chuckled without mirth as he watched his new young self being made.

“Great work Dib-bug, how is the alien DNA holding up in the clone?”

The voice coming in through a small monitor in his watch showing what the Bug robot saw was like his but hollow, as hollow as he felt.

_“It will function perfectly well, only a 00.2% chance of error. However, those errors are entirely based upon the species you chose. Irkens are a volatile race, sir.”_

Dib smiled softly remembering Zim and his fights to keep this horrible beautiful planet going.

“Yeah well, he may need those errors. I don’t want him to feel this way, shackled to a fate he may not want…never his own person.”

“_Sir, Feelings are irrelevant. Regardless I have flushed and locked in this specific cloning formula so the professor cannot tamper with it and make a new you the same.”_

Man, his creator would be upset. Dib almost wished he could see his reaction when he found out what happened.

But then Gaz, he loved her so much. Even as he was drugged out of his mind in the crazy house, he remembered her nonchalant way of pointing out issues, getting rid of all other thoughts and cutting to the heart of the problem.

That girl was going places.

When Zim left he had thought maybe he would still be allowed to enjoy his old things. But at age thirteen his father dropped the; “You are my clone so stop this nonsense.” Bombshell on him.

The only thing he had left of his days loving paranormal research was a telescope his father had stripped his walls bare and taken all his equipment, then he was shipped off to mental ward after mental ward for a year to try and cure his “insanity.” He just denied believing anything paranormal to escape the torment.

It killed him.

An admission of weakness to the enemy.

“I wonder if this is how Zim felt when he found out the tallest abandoned him? My whole world abandoned me…even if she loves me…Gaz thinks I am insane too…”

He looked down at his sneakers and slipped them off feeling the cool tiles and night air hit his socked feet.

The sneakers plummeted into the abyss of night.

“I bet he found a way to make them respect him. He was always cool like that; nothing could get him down.”

Memories Flooded Dib as he looked over to the holographic rendition of himself, he had planted…his thoughts recorded on loop for his sister and father.

The police too, not that it would matter.

“I bet If you had come now, Zim…I would not have cared if you had destroyed the planet…I will miss nature and the animals...but the people deserve it. we are so cruel even to our own. No one will ever care if one more soul is lost.”

He looked at the figure in the vat from the perspective of his own robotic minion, chuckling at the similarities between him and Zim.

“well, if you ever come back, maybe we can be friends this time? I won’t be the same but…I think I will like life better being like this, and if not, he will have the keys to change it if he wishes.”

He was not going to be like his father and force his path on another sentient being.

He would NEVER be like professor Membrane.

That was one of his final vows.

Why he was doing this at all.

If he was truly human at all anymore, he would do the most human thing and take fate into his own hands, the sound of a robotic voice pinged through his watch.

_“Sir, I have uploaded all the memories and thoughts you have and will continue to do so until the point of your expiration…However, do you truly wish me, an unfeeling robot to be the one to greet a child into the world?”_

Dib cracked a small smile.

“It has to be you. You will let him know everything he needs to know and what to avoid. You are to stay with him and do as he says. He is your new master upon my expiration.”

It was funny that Dib-bug was basically him, it was a robot sure, but it was a record of his life and memories. His final gift to the world. His final bit of hope poured into his final project.

“Which should be soon, I hope…I get to still watch everything at least…and Dib bug? Make sure he is nice to Gaz.”

_“Affirmative.”_

The wind blew against him as he smirked down below.

He was using Membrane towers as a final “fuck you.” To the dear professor.

He opened his arms and fell forwards, facing death like the hero he once was.

In those moments thousands of thoughts raced through his head.

Truly death was an amazing instant of every memory he had, so many of Zim and so few of anyone else.

The invader and himself had grown close only to be wrenched apart for reasons unknown to him, but he knew he could not take it anymore.

He was not strong.

Just human.

But as a human.

You always have a

S

M

A

L

L

H

O

P

E...

. .

…

…


	2. unprepared

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New and shaky we emerge into this world.  
until we grow a hardened shell from all the hate we receive.  
like chiton this armour protects us.  
But keeps us from feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HA, Not done yet, Gotta do a double of this so I don't feel terrible for leaving you off with that....you know...the terrible thing.   
Sorry about that.   
ON WITH THE SHOW!

Gaz woke this morning and to her shock the bathroom was free.

She normally would have to beat Dib to it.

Or just beat the door down, her older brother had the most hopeless hair.

She smiled at the little thank you note atop her black nail polish on a plain post it. Dad had taken all his spaceship and bigfoot ones.

Not that it kept Dib from being weird and wearing nail polish and getting piercings…he had plugs in his ears and a tongue piercing for pizza’s sake!

It was a cry for help if she ever saw it, since Dib was more bubbly and perky than her and yet over the years, he just shut down to everyone but her.

She shook her head and proceeded to get ready for the day, her brother was probably getting an early start to get away from dad like he sometimes did when he knew their father would be home before work.

“Gazleen! Come and get breakfast, it is another fulfilling day of **science** for your father, and I can’t afford to be late!”

She smiled and shook her head.

“Coming Dad.”

She figured her suspicions were confirmed when she saw Dib’s car was not in their driveway

\--------------

_Meanwhile_

\--------------

_“Welcome to life Dib Membrane. You are the third iteration Of Dib.” _

A robotic beetle with navy-blue eyes was staring him down and he could not help but smile up at it from its perch on a console.

It looked so cool.

He still felt sticky from the vat and there were no clothing items that fit him so he was a bit chilly in the giant plain blue t-shirt that hung about his form like a dress.

_“I am Dib-Bug, made by your predecessor. He was forced into an…unsavory situation, let us say. For now, I will give you a basic rundown on what life will entail and show you some past video feeds to back up all claims.”_

The small child nodded with delight and sat watching intently to gain all the new knowledge he was to be given.

\---------------

During this.

\----------------

The traffic was horrendous, so much so that they had to park and walk, Her father called the school to inform them she would be absent for the first period as they walked up to Membrane labs and saw a crowd…which would not be peculiar, nor the red tape or police officers…but there were no marks from explosions, no problems.

Right?

Her heart was thudding in her chest and she kept her face stony and expressionless as the crowd turned to them…photographers and media personnel swarmed them as the lab security bot’s cut in and saved them from having to deal with their question but one question rang out in her mind above the rest.

_“Do you know; professor membrane how a youth managed to commit suicide from your labs?” _

Gaz was off running before she knew what her legs were doing, breaking past the crowd and only seeing an outline and red on the sidewalk she ran into the building, it was all a blur, she only knew she stopped running when she was on the roof heaving for breath on her hands and knees. She saw something from the corner of her eye…A coat, HIS coat, black and fluttering in the wind.

Shakily she got up and looked at what was laying on top of it, a bottle of dark eggplant nail polish with a post-it-note and a holo-pad.

Shakily she picked up the note and nail polish.

_“Hey Gaz, Sorry I used your nail polish, I know I shouldn’t have because you probably know why. But I got you this, it is almost as good as black right?_

_Forever yours,_

_Dib.”_

She did not even notice her tears as her father put a hand on her shoulder and she started up the holo-pad, a perfect image of Dib in the dead of night sitting on a rooftop staring into space before speaking.

_ “If you are listening to this, I am dead. I really first want to say I am sorry to the one person who will care: Gazleen Membrane, you are a strong brave young woman, don’t cry because I just made my choice.” _

She made a sound she never knew she could, between a sob and a laugh, because that was so like Dib, making Death sound like he was going on some adventure somewhere and just forgot to tell her.

_ “As for the Man who made me, first off Fuck you. And secondly, surprise! Did you ever expect this? Oh, and also good luck I know you are thinking “Well It’s a good thing I have a backup” But my dear professor, do you think I would leave you the same thing to break again?” _

Their father looked angry for a moment then relaxed, probably realizing this is Dib, what could he do?

His poor insane “son”

_ “I am sorry that I will never be the same person I was for you Gaz, and I never can be again…But I hope what I left you is in some ways what you need and maybe will have a CHOICE in his life more than I did…I love You Gaz more than you will ever know. I wish we could have eaten pizza on the roof or played one last game together…but this is it for me as I was.”  _

The hologram faded out and showed a small clip of Dib as a child…he was so young in the clip, he was holding a baby Gaz out in their backyard as he sat on a picnic blanket and he looked so happy as he gave his baby sister a kiss on the head before the Feed cut out and proceeded to loop audio.

“Well, I suppose I will have to call you out of school for the day. Let’s head back to the house and see the mess your brother has made, shall we?”

Gaz nodded stiffly and got up, picking up her brother’s coat and the holo-pad along with the sticky note and nail polish.

\-----------------------

Back at the house

\------------------------

_“That Is all the pertinent information that I can give your sensitive child brain for now.” _

The boy’s big honey-coloured irises twinkled with mischief.

“So, Aliens exist, I have some alien DNA, the person who made me is me but not around. The other person, the Professor is a meanie but I can’t let him know I know that and that I know about aliens or he will do bad stuff to me…and Be nice to my clone sister Gaz…is That about it?”

_“About, you also should not let either know of my existence, I am made of your Creator’s memories, if they eradicate me, I can no longer help you. If this is all understood I must hide, there is activity outside the abode.” _

Dib watched the robotic insect scuttle off as he heard a door slam upstairs.

He decided to squeeze himself into a corner and hide, he dove under paperwork and peeked out from it, the lab was not nearly so dark as he thought it should be with the low lighting.

He heard the sound of doors slamming shut and the hiss of the lab door opening.

Footsteps drawing nearer and muffled voices.

“It looks like all he did was stop up the ageing accelerator…So it must be younger…. where is he?”

That was a man’s voice, obviously the professors, he should tread lightly around him.

“Dib, seriously, I swear if you made yourself a baby that is super weak!”

“I’m Not a baby!”

He squeaked from his stack of papers and gulped softly before slowly sitting up.

“I…I am five years old, So I am not a baby!”

\----------------------------------------------------------

Gaz looked at the bundle of spunk that was once her older, now very much younger. Brother.

He was wearing one of the plain blue shirts that their father had provided for the clones he had made…though she was a bit surprised, this kid was a bit more outspoken than the old Dib, he had a look to him, a spark in his eyes that spoke of mischief that was sure to be done if you crossed him…he was Dib, but also not…Dib but different. Better or worse she could not tell yet.

Their dad strolled over and examined Dib before nodding.

“It looks like he did just mess with the ageing accelerator, I will give you the usual scans but I doubt anything is out of order, honestly Dib you and your theatrics…”

Gaz felt a little bit sickened that their Dad was brushing off Dib literally killing himself as “Theatrics” but she also knew this was not really the time to talk to her father about his dubious morality.

The boy was scanned and as their father had said there was nothing amiss, though the boy only called him “sir” Never “dad” he was very cold to their father, which was unlike Dib as a child…what had Dib actually done to make this kid-him? they registered Dib for Kindergarten that night and Gaz helped Set Dib up in his room.

They pulled old boxes of clothing out of the attic and Dib settled on a onesie with star print on it for the night and for tomorrow black denim overalls with star buttons and a dark blue shirt underneath.

“Gaz? Are you okay? Your eyes are all puffy.”

Dang, the kid was more perceptive than old Dib too…

“It’s nothing kid, go to sleep…”

He frowned but nodded to her, wishing her a good night.

Gaz did not sleep that night, she replayed the hologram over and over, weeping until she could cry no more.

\------------------------------------------------------------

“Dib-Bug…Gaz is sad, what should I do to make her happy?”

The boy spoke under his bed which he thought was giant, though to old Dib it was a little on the small side.

Dib-bug was under the bed among the dust, eyes glowing.

“_That is not my Forte, I can only tell you what has been, this is new territory, you need to find new solutions. You should be more thankful that the professor is a blind fool and did not even conceive that “Original-Dib” made you something a little more than human.”_

The child’s eyes lit up, the golden part growing, taking up most of the Sclera, they looked almost like a merging between Irken and human eyes at that moment as the boy adjusted to the low light his honey coloured eyes almost looked gold.

“Can you tell me about Irkens? Or about space?”

The Bionic bug displayed a hologram of Dib talking about the alien race, about control brains and the armada.

Dib fell asleep half hanging off the edge of the bed letting dreams of space and aliens fill his thoughts.


	3. Who you have become

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaz thought for a moment his eyes were gold and nothing else, it caused a shiver to run through her remembering similar magenta eyes, but when she flicked on the light it was just a little Dib blinking in the light with normal eyes, a curl of black hair and in her old overalls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyoooo! I am back and editing tags like the fool I am.   
I also may not be posting as much, Practicum, a Job and university are murdering me.

Big honey eyes opened to greet a day of new life.

“good morning Dib-bug!”

He waved his arms at the robotic beetle and ended up falling face-first onto the floor but got up laughing and shuffling under the bed where the robotic creature slid a bit away to avoid being crushed by an un-coordinated five-year-old.

_“Dib, it is Saturday, there is no reason to be up at five AM. Most youths and children stay asleep until at least seven AM.”_

The young Dib just smiled and picked up the bug in his hands and walking over to the floor where he folded his change of clothes from the night prior for today before setting the Robotic companion on the floor near him as he changed.

“Good, that means no one can stop me from exploring!”

The robot processed this behaviour as a result of Irkens naturally not needing as much sleep as humans and filed it away as one of the 00.2% of things different about this Dib from his predecessor.

Though now it was sure to find more, the old Dib had been an early riser but this one had gotten maybe five hours of sleep, Dib always slept to around the seven hours of sleep…though perhaps it was just due to excitement.

This was a child, they were excitable.

The child hid Dib-bug in a pocket on his person before descending the stairs towards the lab.

“I noticed all the tools in here yesterday, surely the professor won’t mind if I take an early interest in science, that is all he wants right?”

_“Affirmative, He wishes for you to be a scientist…What do you wish to do with the tools though?”_

The child giggled softly as he walked into the dark of the lab and let his unnatural eyes adjust to the lack of light, the sclera taken over with gold with only a black dot of a pupil as a singular mark of remaining human-like, the colour overtaking the rest of the eye was very Irken like.

“I saw I have a telescope in my room, I want to make it stronger but, in a way, that the professor won’t notice…I wanna see everything that is out there.”

He had the dreamy faraway look that Dib used to have when thinking about the supernatural.

_“For what reason?”_

“Not much of one…I want to explore…I don’t really want glory or fame I just…I just want? I mean, I know the other me wants to be a hero…to be recognized. I am okay with blending in if I can explore. Think of how cool it would be to see all the stuff that is out there!”

_“Although you are more intelligent than a regular child as you have a genius’s DNA, you are rather foolish in your endeavours. Who would let a child explore space? That is foolish.” _

Dib hummed to himself picking up a wrench and some bolts, a few extra lenses. Dib-bug knew letting the child know about Irkens was foolish, but the original had insisted…If Zim ever came back, which was a low chance he wanted this him to be prepared.

Now, said child was happily trying to create a stronger telescope and view worlds beyond.

It seems as though many things about the lad were different from who he once was…it would almost seem like personal growth that he had no need for praise if it were not for the fact this child was brand new. Dib-bug would have to keep a log of continued differences.

* * *

“Hey kid!”

Dib lifted his head to smile up at Gaz. He had finished his telescope and was quietly drawing at the kitchen table…in the dark. Gaz thought for a moment his eyes were gold and nothing else, it caused a shiver to run through her remembering similar magenta eyes, but when she flicked on the light it was just a little Dib blinking in the light with normal eyes, a curl of black hair and in her old overalls.

“What are you doing?”

She ground out and pulled up a chair getting some cereal to eat.

“Well…I was trying to figure out where the food was, then I got bored so I just decided to colour, I found these in one of the boxes upstairs…Are you okay? Your eyes have dark rings under them.”

Dang this kid’s perceptiveness, then again, Dib had always been perceptive too…when he was not being an idiot.

“Be quiet, I was spending my time playing games too late. Now…we need to figure out a name for you when you get to Kindergarten on Monday. Any ideas?”

“Why can’t I just be Dib?”

She tried not to choke on her food and took a moment before looking over at him…So he was only perceptive when it came to other people. He was five! Of course, he did not know he had…had…

“Gaz?”

“Look kid, it would be suspicious if there were TWO Dib membrane’s, so you got anything?”

The child bit his lip in thought and rested his cheek on his palm, something Dib used to do a lot when thinking about something deeply, he would rest his big stupid head and chew on something.

She missed that looser so much.

“Gimlet.”

She did a double-take as his small voice chirped in the quiet kitchen.

“What?”

“See, A Dibble is used to punch holes in the ground, and a Gimlet it used to drill holes…so…same-same but different?”

“You want to be called…Gim?”

Why did he have to pick a name that sounded so much like the looser that made her brother cry and get all depressed over for months?

“Yeah! Plus, it has a G like your name, I still would like to be called Dib here though.”

She had to hand it to him, she was a little bit flattered, enough that she slid over a bowl and the cereal. Her heart stuttered when he gave her the same lopsided smile her brother would give her.

You are not him; you will never replace him.

She repeated over and over to herself as they ate in silence.

* * *

Gaz was not okay, Sure she could try to pretend but as she went to her locker and opened it, she noticed Dib’s had been cleaned out by the school. They gave her a box and condolences she did not want, seeing that on top of the pile was a photo of her and Dib on their 13th birthday…the one before Dib…Was sent away. As well as a sketch of a familiar alien…she wanted to burn that picture, she hated Zim so much…He had ruined her brother’s chances…brought him to…this point…

There was no going back now.

She went through class after class, it was a dreary day, rain falling in sheets. Some people whispered behind her back but what did she care?

Over lunch, she saw Dib…. Gim while he was here, walking to the kindergarten seating with his class.

The school they were in was all ages, their father had transferred them due to this school’s impressive science program and to keep her brother from any memories of Zim and the paranormal at their old school. The school was three stories, the cafeteria was on the base level where the elementary was. In school She and “Gim” were cousins and It made sense some distant family could be stopping over to mourn with them…though long term they would have to work something out.

She watched the kid getting shoved by some of the larger children in the class. Dib was pretty small, was he that small as a kid?

He did not fight back though, even as one of the other kids snatched his lunch and threw it in the garbage.

He just fished what was salvageable out and sat, looked them dead in the eyes and ate his sandwich.

Gutsy kid.

* * *

She never really noticed that her spare overlapped with the kindergarten recess.

So, there she was, watching children in raincoats play as Dib drew in the mud with a stick. 

“Hey, Dim Gim!”

A girl and boy crowded him, chubby little blond twins with brown eyes. Dib ignored them and kept drawing.

“So, you are staying with the creepy witch lady and the mad scientist huh? I bet the witch cooks and eats yooou!”

They laughed But Dib stood up straight and looked them dead in their chubby faces, stoic for a Kindergartener.

“Gaz is amazing and cool; you don’t know what you are talking about.”

The girl spoke first, leering meanly at the smaller child.

“Mommy says that she is so dark and depressing no wonder her brother died. She never loved him on anyone at all!”

The boy looked at his sister and nodded like they knew what they were talking about.

“Our mommy says that she is terrible, that she is the reason her big brother is dead. I bet she pushed him off the building like the witch she is!”

Gaz gritted her teeth, of course, that is what people were saying, they knew nothing. Just ignore them.

Dib, however, did no such thing. He stood straight with clenched fists and took a deep breath.

“Take that back.”

“Why should we? It is true isn’t it?”

The boy sneered at Dib before a small fist connected with his stomach and sent him toppling over.

The girl ran off screaming for the teacher as Dib bit the boy on the neck and scratched at him.

Gaz ran over and pulled Dib off.

Needless to say, that reaction was not normal for Dib. It was protective and deadly like he would kill the other boy if she did not pull him off.

And that alone made her blood run cold.

Was her brother always so protective of her?

They left school early that day, and paid for the medical bills and apologized to the parents.

Dib was grounded and interrogated by their father about the attack, and his only response was: “They deserved it.”

This was not the same Dib, this level of violence was not normal for him, even against his own worst enemy…

Gaz was not sure how to feel about this…That Dib would risk it all to protect her.

It was not normal, he was so fiercely loyal and sure before she knew he stayed with her more to care about her than out of his own loneliness, much like her he was okay alone but loved her enough to stick by her.

That evening she opened the door to her brother’s room and saw his form looking out the window. She wanted answers and she was going to get them, even if it might scare her, she took a light step and the floor groaned under her weight. Dib’s head whipped around and Glowing pools of amber that overtook almost all of his eyes other than pinpricks of blackness met her eyes.

“God Dib…What did you do to yourself?”


	4. Messy start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can you make a family from the broken leftover pieces?   
Well, the membrane siblings are nothing if not stubborn enough to try.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I tried to do a thing here where I have a convergence with the points of view, so while Dib is having his meltdown so is Gaz then she walks in on the last part of Dib watching the hologram.  
I need to say this, Dib is a kid right now so he is fickle with his moods, he can try to be strong but he wants to be loved more.   
Happy month of celebration everyone!   
stay spacey!

The door was slammed shut and Dib heard the click of a lock then the padding of feet running away.

So, this is how it would be.

It had not changed too much, unlike what the Dib before may have thought. Dib had gone over videos and transcripts of their relationship; he knew how it went after they turned thirteen.

Gaz was fine and he was not, that is because Gaz used him as a scapegoat with their father, she would openly laugh at him or call him insane.

He could bet that she barely cared for him, running to tell their “father” about what he had done to himself.

It still hurt though, because he loved her, she was his sister and even if he should hate her for the abuse she had done in the past, he could not.

Sometimes being human really sucked.

“Dib-bug? Could you play the recording? The friend one?”

The robotic insect opened a panel under its metallic shell and a small light projection began to play.

Dib would play this whenever he felt upset now, an emotion he was becoming very accustomed to, one that he was pretty sure a normal five-year-old would not know.

But this helped in a way, knowing in another life he had something close to a friend.

* * *

_“Hey, bug boy! Come on!”_

_They were trudging up the steps of the old factory building. Urban exploration was something they did together now, With Zim being upset over his leader’s blatant lies to him and not knowing how to get in their good graces and Dib knowing he was an imperfect clone and not wanting to go back home very often they Would spend evenings Camping out in abandoned buildings._

_“Dib-beast! The roof of this unsanitary structure Will not go anywhere! Cease your running!”_

_Still, the two of them hurried up the decrepit stairs to the flat roof, Dib setting up a popup tent and passing Zim a bag of gummy worms._

_“Hey, space-boy, you know I am glad to be your friend, right?”_

_In the darkness Zim had taken off his disguise and looked over at Dib, he looked surprised only for a moment before scoffing and going on a tangent about how Dib should be honoured to be Acquainted with the mighty Zim._

_Zim never called them friends, he was still rude to Dib, but not really out of spite, there was no heat to the alien’s words, it was just routine by now._

_A comfortable routine that would easily be broken._

_They began talking about space and the empire, Zim never gave too much away but Dib would still bounce Ideas off of Zim sometimes._

_“I think your leaders are super dumb, I mean I bet if you took over some planets for Irk they would be begging to have you back man. Who needs those jerks, Zim?”_

_Zim fidgeted and looked over at Dib who was smiling and trying to reassure him._

_The look of an idea springing into berry coloured eyes._

_“Indeed Dib-beast…. Indeed”_

* * *

The recording cut there and Dib was in tears. He never knew Zim, not personally but it still hurt knowing that someone his past self had called friend, wanted nothing to do with him and would just up and leave.

Dib bit back his tears and looked up out the window and at the stars.

He was done with this, with being helpless in a cold universe, this is why he had Irken DNA now…he was not going to just cope, he would thrive, and he would do it on his own without the human need for others.

Being human Failed him, so why not be an alien? After all, he already was one even among his own family.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Gaz was having a meltdown. She was trying to process how Dib could possibly tinker with his own clone to make that…. thing.

She had almost called their dad, almost.

She was not sure though because Did Dib really want to be reset? No matter what, it would not bring back who he once was.

That Dib was dead and she had to admit…She had contributed to it.

Every unkind word and scenario played out in her mind as she lay on her bed staring at the ceiling.

Sure, Dib had loved her and had she ever really returned the favour?

The answer to that was no. she was not the friendly or touchy-feely type of person but still, she had been so cold to someone who had, in retrospect been so obviously hurting and just wanted connection.

The person who he had thought was his friend abandoned him, his dad did not take him seriously and tried to strip away what made him who he was. His sister only pushed him away and belittled him.

No wonder he did what he did…he probably just wanted to restart fresh, and maybe tinkering with his clone was his way of trying to break ties from their father.

She sat up and padded to Dib’s room quietly unlocking the door and peeking in.

Watching Dib cry as he watched a scene play out on a small hologram projected from some sort of small robot. She could tell it was inspired by Zim, it looked like a pack but blue, more beetle-like.

She could see the cold look of determination set in those eyes and she stepped into the room again, this time she did not flinch when Dib whipped his head around to look at her, big eyes full of tears.

God, she was the worst sister…but she did not want to be that anymore.

Maybe the message Dib left was right.

Maybe this is what she did need.

“Hey…I don’t know what you did to yourself Dib, frankly, I don’t care.”

She saw Dib flinch back a bit as she got close and sat on the window seat with him.

“I was…the worst to you before, I was a real crappy sister and I get it if you hate me for it now.”

Dib looked up; his brows arched quizzically at her behaviour.

“I just, I want to retry ya know? I want to try to be a better sister, and I know I will mess up, like, A lot, but I don’t want you to have to feel all alone again…I don’t want to make you have to feel that alone ever again.”

She ended her speech a bit awkwardly and rubbed the back of her neck as the silence stretched before them, but before she could move and leave Dib, the child grasped onto her middle in a hug and started bawling leaving her to just take the bought of emotion, not knowing where to put her hands so she held them up.

The kid hiccupped and looked up at her with the most pitiful expression in the world.

“I don't wanna be alone, please don’t leave!”

Then he resumed crying into her pyjama top.

This started the membrane sibling’s messy beginning of becoming a family of two.


	5. Crash-Bang

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We see zim, who is about as repressed emotionally as any Irken try to go the absolute WORST way to keep an old friendship.  
And we see Dib, who is starting to repair his relationship with his sister but also really wants to see a cryptid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Freaking FINALLY SOME ZIM!  
I hear you all cry out collectively.  
and watch as the buildup to for Dib to actually see him takes like...the rest of this story. X'D  
because that sounds like something I would do.  
( probably not though, I just am having fun writing this and my planning has been atrocious thus far.)

Sitting atop a heap of rubble and watching civilians run as the world burned around them.

He should be more happy about this.

These were not a challenge to infiltrate though, three years in and one hundred twenty worlds down, well, one hundred twenty-one now. No one could stand against the pure chaotic energy that he gave off. Now standing at five foot five inches, Zim had made a name for himself, scraping by to make himself an elite. His armour was splattered with guts and viscera as he hopped down from his perch, the creatures ran from him and one even dropped its offspring in his path in their mad dash to get away from the invader.

The snivelling creature looked up at him with big honey-coloured eyes and he hesitated before putting his foot down to the small thing’s head as it wailed. With a crunch, it was over as the carapace was broken.

How tedious this had become.

Entering his voot he scooped up Gir into his lap as they took off, the robot quiet and looking at a picture of Dib that it drew back when they had first left on this plan.

Now zim had everything he had ever wanted.

He had status, power and a good reputation. He had become an Elite for Irk’s sake! He should be happy and yet the coldness had seeped into his very bones each year he had been away from the pathetic dirtball known as earth.

It was not the earth itself he missed, no he missed a particular creature, a human with eyes unclouded by the blinders most put on. even in space-faring races zim almost always blended in and no one questioned him at all.

The only one who ever did was a young human no one wanted to listen to.

“Ship, take Zim to the Zoo.”

The ship affirmed and engaged light speed to get to the destination, a planet Zim had conquered long ago. It was one where he had placed the species of the races that he had deemed had the most potential, smarter, showing potential. He placed them with other like individuals so they could re-populate and be used by the irken empire later for certain jobs that each species seemed the most suited for.

This is also where he had set up his basecamp…sure he could go to irk, but he just could not stand the admiring stares now and the fake feeling affirmations of those around him.

“Computer, open the bay doors and open the room that was prepared, for…the optimal creature.”

Yes, everything was simple now, he marched in a line like everyone expected him to, a perfect soldier.

Yet inside him, something festered. He wanted to have his friend back. Yes he knew the Dib probably hated him even more now than he ever did, the very thought made Zim bite his lip, Dib screaming at him and telling him he hated him, could he deal with it now that he had tasted the human’s friendship?

He had to, he had to if he ever wanted Dib back, he could endure it and eventually, Dib would forgive him.

He entered a room, the first room he made when the idea of the Zoo popped into his mind, the multi tiered construction that spanned the whole of the planet, this was the penthouse for his prime subject.

It was fairly simple but it had windows, highly filtered water for bathing and drinking, a food replicator and entertainment units. The bed was of human style and was a deep magenta, sometimes Zim would lay down on it and imagine he was back with Dib just chatting about life on his bed as they read terrible earth comics. Irk did he miss that human at times.

He placed Gir down to call the Tallest, trying to repress the natural sneer he got now just thinking about those two entitled brats, why did he ever put any stock in what they had to say before? It was so obvious now that he was smarter than them but he bit his tongue and put a hold on his defective thoughts as the icon popped up on the holo-screen.

“My tallest, Planet 1-22786 designation sector C is conquered, all subjects that were of skill have been transferred to the Zoo with their files awaiting approval or termination.”

He held his salute as he spoke even as the two leaders turned and looked at each other in silent communication with each other. He knew they wanted him to fail secretly, which is why he kept his own mission secret so he could still have what he wanted.

Not even these two would keep him from what he wanted.

“Ah Zim, that was fast. I assume you are going to be taking some time as you have been accumulating holidays?”

Red said this with a rather bored tone but Zim could not afford to give himself away too much, he knew they would be watching him closely so he had made his own tech and ship for this so the empire would not be privy to his mission.

“Yes my tallest, I will return after ready for any actions you request of me.”

He put on his best smile and it seemed the tallest’s bought it as they sneered at him and ended the call, Zim had become a good liar as he lived in the empire, repressing his defective thoughts but they only could be repressed for so long, he still desired the companionship of Dib and he swore he would get it.

“Gir, are you ready to take a vacation?”

The robot visibly perked up, sad eyes looking a little less empty.

“We going to see mary again?”

Zim chuckled softly and patted the robot on the head.

“Yes Gir, we are going to go and see Mary again, and this time we will not be letting him go.”

The lights in the room went out as the irken and robot left the planet, leaving all functions to the high-tech facility to keep the Zoo’s inhabitants safe and fed.

It was time to do some old-fashioned abduction.

* * *

Dib was just taking down the laundry he had hung up earlier today, it was a bit awkward to shuffle a stool along with him each time he had to take down a shirt, but he figured Gaz would appreciate the feel of freshly laundered sheets…plus Gaz was kind of a domestic disaster, she did not have the tolerance for something menial at all and that ended poorly on several attempts. He would know because after the four weeks of their new understanding she had attempted to make him food…and he still was trying to get the purple stuff unstuck from his back molars. He shuddered as he could still taste the concoction each time his tongue brushed a certain spot in his mouth.

After that dib had assured her, he was happy to do more of the cooking and housework as long as she made sure to give him tutorials from online sources and recipes that did not require working the stove unless she was around.

He actually had gotten pretty adept with the rice cooker and had been making his own sushi recently, it was fun and even if it was messy, fresh fish often made up for the food maybe not looking super pretty.

He and Gaz were still working through some things, like the being part Irken stuff, and having a robot that was basically all of the old Dib’s memories, and yeah…. those things probably would take months if not years to unpack and air out.

He was just happy for the chance to be a regular child, have a good enough family that supported him even if it was just his sister, that was good enough.

Gaz had done some things around the house too, and out of the house. She had taken him shopping and they had gotten him new clothing as well as some appliances to make it easier for them to make their own meals, last night they had made a stir-fry together and watched a movie. It had been so nice and peaceful he had fallen asleep and had woken up to Gaz tucking him into bed, she was a little too rough and had jostled him awake, but he did not really mind.

He had the coolest Big sister.

She had stuck up for him a few days ago when a bully had tried to dump his lunch in the trash again, the kid had cried and they had both gotten detention but it was so worth it.

He wished he had gotten a picture from the way the boy’s eyes had bugged out after Gaz had said that she would release bees into his home so they would lay eggs in his eyes.

He was physically struck out of his thoughts as there was a loud crack and bang in the distance that made his head whip to the source.

It had come from the woods…

His mind sparked excitedly with thoughts of ghosts or potentially bigfoot but he paused.

“Gaz would be upset if I just ran off…she has an assignment she has to study for at the library.”

An idea struck him as he ran into the house and scrawled his sister a note about where he would be and how to find him.

“Dib bug!”

He picked up a mildly irritated robotic beetle stuffing it in his pocket.

“We are going on an adventure!”


	6. Repetition and Parallels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First meetings are always difficult, yet sometimes they yield new knowledge.  
The destined meeting with a different chase, this new Dib does act like prey, perhaps due to knowing more about Irkens.

"I swear to IRK Gir if you do not cease this foolish behaviour Zim will have you sent back to the zoo right now!"

the robot, of course, began to cry, how a robot could Zim would never know but there Gir sat upon the console weeping.

Because Zim would not set up the old base.

The robot did not seem to understand they were only there to get the Dib to come to the zoo, either by drugging or abducting him Zim did not care.

He just wanted the only being he could call his friend back in his life.

The alien sighed and waved his hand to bring a holo-screen to life.

He tapped at buttons effectively hiding the ship and making them invisible.

Or so he thought.

It seemed something was jamming his hologram frequencies, an amazing feat if it was achieved on

Purpose, yet no one on this dirt-ball of a planet had the mental capacity for that feat other than Dib.

"Ah! We must have landed closer to the Dib-beast's residence than we thought. Come Gir! We have a human to catch!"

Zim utilized a laser cutter function on his gauntlet felling some small branches to use as a cover for his ship before tapping out a code for a more stable hologram for him and Gir, a teenager of Latino heritage with bright violet eyes and a mutt of a dog.

Zim, of course, kept his height; he was proud to have gained height over the time spent on this dirtball.

It was one of the only good things about earth, other than the other one.

He was about to March off when he stopped.

Did a twig just snap?

\-------

“oh no, oh no!”

Dib saw the now human-looking alien stalk closer towards his hiding spot, he had to cover his mouth and try his hardest not to gasp. it was him, the alien menace.

“Zim.”

His whisper was too soft for anyone to hear, he knew it. Yet this creature drew ever closer. Dib-bug crawled out of his pocket as the figure drew closer.

His heart was pounding in his throat.

He was not the Dib Zim had become friends with, he was not prepared for this; he was too different to make the connection with this Alien.

He was trying to scoot back, his eyes wide. This alien was much taller than the Zim he saw on old recordings, was it just the hologram this alien was using or something else?

The bushes were being pulled back, he swore his heart was going to stop yet just before he could be discovered a thick mist of liquid sprayed directly from the back panel of the small bug robot, the scream Zim emitted was nothing short of horrific as the alien disguise faltered to reveal a green creature clutching his face in pain. Dib looked at the source of the creatures pain who he scooped up and started booking it to the house, tree branches clawed at his face in the dimming light and he tripped several times in his haste.

"What was that? Acid?"

Because even in a panic he was curious.

_"It was unfiltered water, irkens are sensitive to water-borne pollution. It will not keep him occupied for long though; so I suggest we get in contact with your sister."_

He nodded putting all his effort into running. The robot probably only had enough water in them for one blast, which had unfortunately been used up.

He did not want to know what the alien would do when he was mad.

\----

The pain was momentary compared to the rage.

HOW DARE EARTH DIRT DO THIS TO THE MIGHTY ZIM?

extending Pak legs he scrambled up in the almost-black of the night, the soft glow of lights filtering from the street into the trees as he pursued.

\---

He could hear the scraping of metal as he ran, gulping in air. Step down, leg up, extend, repeat.

He saw a glint of metal hit a tree trunk by his head, he dared not turn back.

Step down, leg up, extend, repeat.

He exited the woods with a rustle, the street lights were dim upon the street to conserve energy.

It concealed him even with his golden honeyed eyes glowing and aiding his night vision.

He slid under a fence panting and getting up as he heard the rattle of the fence as Zim began to climb after him, he used his short stature to his advantage, ducking into bushes and exiting as he heard an angry hiss echo in the air behind him.

No time to focus. Just run.

Step down, leg up, extend, repeat.

There, the light of his home, Gaz must be home.

Step down, leg up, extend, repeat.

The clatter of metal scraped on the concrete of the driveway behind him.

Step down, leg up, extend, repeat.

He cried out as he collided with the driveway, something embedded in his shoulder.

Was he going to die here? So close to home?

He could hear the blood pumping in his ears, feel it flowing from the hole in his shoulder as he was flipped over to face a very angry, then very shocked Irken who reached out and held his chin as if inspecting some strange bug.

"Irken eyes...what are you Dirt child?"

That was cut off by a scream as a bang sounded and bright blue splattered against Zim's green face.

He had been hit by a paintball right between the eyes and Dib could hear footsteps on the driveway. Yet even in the obvious pain Zim kept a hold on Dib and hoisted him, making him cry out as he was held up in front of Zim.

"You...you ugly green motherfucker. Let the kid go."

That was Gaz alright, he could just make out her silhouette through the dizzying pain. He vaguely realized he must only be conscious due to shock and adrenaline. Dib looked at her pleadingly as he whimpered at being waved around when Zim spoke.

"Zim will not unless you put your weapon down."

He sounded so smug yet Gaz looked at him deathly calm and put the paintball gun down on the pavement with a clatter. This seemed to shock the creature.

"Let him go now. It is your last chance."

The alien laughed raucously at her statement.

"Why should I?"

With a long-suffering sigh, Gaz looked Zim dead in the eyes.

"Because the automatic sprinklers that only dad and I can turn off are going to turn on...now"

Sure enough, They were being doused by water and Zim screamed letting Go of Dib. His vision swimming as he hit the hard ground, he heard Zim swear vengeance as he was scooped up into equally wet arms.

"You are in so much trouble idiot...I was worried."

"I...I'm sorry."

He croaked as his vision faded to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please forgive the lateness, you all are so fantastic for waiting patiently for this work and my other ones while I sorted out my mental health. I really appreciate it.   
Sorry for not responding to comments, I will try to get to those next!   
Lots of love;  
~Zeo


	7. The foil is the gem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zim comes to some realizations and Dib Is trying to recover from what was done, turns out Irken DNA is good for something after all.   
Gaz is angry because a cockroach has interrupted family time.   
Look out!
> 
> TW: Mild violence, and bad language.

"Computer, Zim needs you to scan this blood sample."

He needed to lay low, and retrofitting an old dilapidated barn with his tech was the perfect plan, the computer sighed and took the sample in its chords. Despite being higher rank now and having access to better tech he kept the computer and Gir, they were broken like him. Defects had to stick together.

He had to clean his pak leg off after that little encounter, but he knew as well as anyone that the odd little creature he had found was not normal...and if the Gaz human was protecting it…

Was it her offspring? And what of Dib? Surely he would have come to see Zim by now, even if it was only to clock his lights out. Something odd was brewing indeed.

He grabbed a paper from a derelict news-stand and sat upon the rooftop of the abandoned barn to read.

Just the usual since he left, more news of membrane and his discoveries. Flipping though he found some older articles stuck into the paper, this must have been a stack of old copies all jammed together. Boredly he flipped the page expecting more of the same.

His mouth fell agape and he began to shake.

It could not be, it COULD NOT BE!

"Computer."

The computer retreated its wires into the ship before responding as if knowing what the forced and strained tone meant.

"Yes, master?"

"Set a course for the membrane residence."

\---

"Stop squirming! Seriously, Dib, you were the one who got hurt. let me check under the bandages so I can see if I need to change them!"

She was not looking forward to seeing the puss-filled mess she was expecting to see hiding just under thin bandages, but she could not be persuaded to go to a hospital with Dib.

That would probably be a bad idea with how alien he was now.

So she had cleaned and dressed his wounds and since it was Saturday she figured she had time to make sure he was normal.

Well, normal enough.

Dib-bug, who Gaz was starting to dislike, chirped from the top of the dresser in its usual monotone.

"Irkens tend to heal faster than humans but are more on guard during the healing process. This is most likely a natural reaction."

Natural reaction her ass. Dib had climbed a wall to get away from her and now was sitting on the ceiling fan and hissing like an irate cat.

"Look you stupid bug, if you are not gonna help get the bandages off then screw off. Seriously, the fact that you have Dibs voice but you always are monotone is creepy as Hell. I should just start calling you Hal."

She walked out of the room and closed the door for good measure, getting a blanket and draping it on the floor, then opened and shut the door to her room before hiding just out of sight. This was one of those things you only learned because you watched horror movies and slasher films, but you make your victim think you have left, then stay quiet and hidden until you strike.

Silently she watched Dib scamper out of the room, pausing to look around on the threshold where she had placed the blanket then…

"Gotcha you little punk! Oh my God stop squirming!"

She was new to this whole…" nurturing" thing. She pulled free Dibs arm and shoulder as she sat and held him down with her weight, pulling the bandages free layer by layer.

It was not the mess she had been expecting, in fact, it was just a scab, and not nearly as big as it had been earlier.

"I did tell you this."

"Oh put a cork in it you H.A.L wanna be!"

It was weird verbally scolding her robot alien a.i brother while holding down her squirming biological alien clone brother.

The gravity of the situation would have hit her like a pound of bricks if the wall had not.

Well, the wall was lighter she figured since only a portion of it fell onto her back, but this was sheer and utter nonsense that she was not having on a Saturday. She unharmed Dib and let him scamper off to be faced with Zim in his full glory once more.

As much glory as you could get out of a bunch of killer space roaches anyway.

"Zim, I swear to whatever God or higher being you believe in, if you just broke our freaking house over some petty dance of vengeance I am going to force-feed you your own!"

That is as far as she got before she was barrelled into by a seething Zim.

"Why did you not Tell Zim? WHY DID YOU NOT TELL ZIM?"

she was grossed out from where she was pinned, the bug was screaming and getting his spit everywhere. She saw Dib from the corner of her eye hiding behind the couch. Good. It was safer there.

She thrashed and ended up kneeling the stupid green jerk right where his stomach should be. It threw him off balance enough for her to surge upwards and get into a fighting stance before Zim started lashing out again. Screaming unintelligibly as he struck at her with gloved claws.

He had gotten better over the years, he was stronger now and she was being forced to dodge and deflect blows as she was backed into a corner. Sure she was good, her skills were nothing to sneeze at. But from what She had listened to from when Dib used to rant. irkens were born and bred to fight, they were basically toddlers with guns when they were invaders.

Now Zim was probably a young adult or teen with a few nuclear weapons somewhere and all his rage directed at her.

She was thinking how if her dad even cared this would suck for him, how he was going to have two dead children. Dad would get over it though. As her back hit the wall and she grimaced at the pain all over her body she thought how unfair it was that she was going to lose her brother twice. She watched the claws make their way towards her before she heard a SPLAT and everything froze.

There stood Dib, behind Zim and holding a pudding cup he had pried from a four-pack one was missing and the other two lay on the ground as he readied the one in his hand.

"Oh, and is this your pet? You stoop so low as to make a child with irken DNA Gaz creature. I will take great satisfaction in dismembering it."

The malicious coo in Zim's voice was new. Like he finally figured out how to be menacing.

Dib barred his teeth and stared back at zim, his eyes fully gold as he threw the pudding with a deafening snap. The launch speed making the container burst before it even made contact.

"Stay away from my sister."

It was cold, a fit of cold anger so unlike Dib, Too serious.

But that cold anger Froze Zim in his tracks. Or perhaps it was the pudding smeared onto his eyeballs, she was having a hard time walking now. The adrenaline wearing off and making her feel like useless jelly.

"Thanks, Dib. But you just opened up that scab."

Dib looked at his shoulder which now was oozing out blood and flailed a bit, looking panicked.

"AH! I'm sorry Gaz! It was...I just…I'm sorry."

The kid looked so dejected she made her way over on shaking legs to pat him on the head.

"Hey, hey. It's all good. Just think before you act more, okay?"

As always she was floored how affectionate Dib was, now clinging to her and snuggling up.

"What do you mean by Dib?"

Zim had since cleaned himself up, though flecks of brown still dotted his face.

"That worm-child is not Dib!! I read your inferior paper form of news! Dib is…"

"Dib is…"

Gaz would have found it sad, maybe had taken pity on him if he had not helped push her brother off that roof. She knew she did too, but she was trying. God she was, and the last thing she needed was Zim messing it up.

Messing him up, again.

"Yeah, our Dib from that time is dead. He gained a friend only to have that friend leave him for three years as he got worse and worse."

She stood, weakness forgotten, fists clenched and teeth gritted. Because how DARE this creature who ruined so much just barge back into her life, into the new life they were building together?

It was not going to happen again, Zim would not ruin this Dib.

He was all she had left of him.

He was entrusted to her by him.

Not Dad, not Zim, her.

"He finally trusted you. How novel is that? He became a better person just to be your friend, and you decided he was not good enough, you just flew off and left him."

Her voice was even, though she felt anything but even. She felt so broken and upset. Even when Zim flinched at her words she did not gain the satisfaction she wanted.

She was stopped by a gentle tug on her arm.

"Hey...Gaz, I know I can't talk for him but I think...from all the recordings On Dib-bug that I have seen. Dib would have forgiven Zim. He really liked him, they were best friends."

She scoffed and was about to retort when he piped up again.

"You would forgive me, right? If I had to go away somewhere for a long time, even if I may not want to?"

"It's not the Same Dib. You would not be leaving me in a state like….that."

God, she was getting emotional because of this.

"But I wouldn't know, people aren't mind-readers Gaz, and irkens aren't either, even if that would be really cool. We all try our best but sometimes we fail. And it is okay right?"

This kid was too wise for his age. She knew letting him look at dad's psychology books had been a mistake.

"I hate it when you are the levelheaded one, you know that right? I am the older sister."

"Yeah, but even older sisters need a break."

That made her crack a smile, even as she fought back tears. This kid was too good for her.

She was horrified and tried to grab him when he slipped away from her side and walked up to Zim, who towered over him now. The Alien looked down at him with a sneer.

"Zim needs no sympathy or help from the likes of you, you abomination."

Even Gaz flinched at that word, how Dib could grin and bear it was beyond her. He outstretched his left hand toward Zim with a bright smile, eyes back to normal.

"Hi! I am Dib membrane and I hope we can be friends."

Zim growled and lunged forward, stopping just a hairsbreadth away from Dib's face and snapping at him with his fangs just inches from his face.

The creep’s antennae were creeping toward Dib who perked up slightly and Zim's eyes widened in realization.

Of what Gaz did not know because as soon as that happened Zim was gone, crawling out the hole he had made in their wall like the cockroach he was.

Dib looked a little disappointed but perked up When Gaz said:

"Well, this was dumb. Let's have junk food and dessert all day and binge cartoons."

Dib beamed at her and she realized something; even if Zim was back, this Dib would be okay...he was going to do just fine.

___

"Gene analysis is completed, master."

"Excellent, and what have you found?"

The display popped up, diagrams showing what he had just found out to be fact.

"The DNA is homo-sapien and irken. The DNA path of homo-sapien is a match for the record of one Dib Membrane."

The inside of the barn was alight with wires and cables all Drilling away and creating his temporary base, the outside was to look like a little country cottage and the inside was his lab and other things. He just used the internet these creatures were so fond of and created a perfect home. A living room, and kitchen, bathroom and bedroom.

"It has been a long time since Zim has had the thrill of the hunt, let us see if this new Dib has any worth to zim. If he does he will come back to the zoo, if not..."

He gleefully stepped into the basement where he then opened a storm cellar door, the inside was whirring to life as his lab took shape and an operating table slid up from the metallic floor, fusing seamlessly into the forming and expanding corridors.

"Zim does believe his old Dib always had wanted to see how Zim would tick. Imagine the irony over opening up both his creation and him."

He slid a gloved hand over the metal as his disguise took shape and he stood, looking perfectly human, and perfectly evil.

"Computer, Enroll Zim into the school Attended By Dib and Gaz Membrane. It is time for a class reunion."

"Ugh, I wish you had grown out of the evil monologue and bad jokes."

Zim just tilted his head back and laughed.

**Author's Note:**

> Well isn't this fun, how am I supposed to update all these works during practicum?  
I obviously don't, I am the fool who did this.  
If you want to chat about this Au thing I have going feel free to chat me up on Tumblr, Here is my original post:  
[Ideas of A Zim found family AU](https://zeoumren.tumblr.com/post/187802649186/ideas)


End file.
